The Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers enter Wednesday tied for first in the American League Central for the first time since July 25. It has been a slow climb for Detroit, but the Tigers have been able to make up ground in the last week as the White Sox have dropped six of their last seven games.
The A.L. Central pennant race has been one of the most hotly contested division races in baseball, especially considering that the second-place finisher has little chance of claiming either of the league's two wild cards.
Detroit and Chicago won't face each other over the course of the season's final week, with the White Sox finishing with four games against the Cleveland Indians and four games against the Tampa Bay Rays and the Tigers wrapping up with five games against the Kansas City Royals and three games vs. the Minnesota Twins.
Here are the A.L. Central standings as of Tuesday night:
- Chicago White Sox, 82-72
- Detroit Tigers, 82-72
- Kansas City Royals, 70-84
- Minnesota Twins, 64-90
- Cleveland Indians, 64-91